Anything from VCTOTW impresses, but especially tiramisu cupcakes in my experience (you can make them without the shot of alcohol too). Oooh and the carrot cake from VWAV, people go crazy over that. My mum declared it the best cake ever and made it for every occasion until she found the lower fat chocolate bundt cake in Vcon which is currently her 'best cake ever' of the season. Basically Isa has amazing recipes.

So I'm cooking for a male omni friend on Tuesday (who may or may not have potential as a love interest :) ) - what should I make him? I've never really cooked for someone I'm dating before, only family and friends who already love vegan food. Any pointers?

YES, roasted vegetables! I am eating roasted broccoli this week. Don't the mushrooms get all dried up and tough?

RE: what to cook for your potential date, make something that has lots of flavor and texture, so that the lack of meat isn't an issue. In other words, don't do fried tofu or a fake burger--people are always comparing those to meat and like to be disappointed.

Something like a curry or tagine or stew. Perfect for this time of year, too...

_________________Alina NiemiAuthor of The New Scoop: Recipes for Dairy-Free, Vegan Ice Cream in Unusual Flavors (Plus Some Old Favorites),Lizard Lunch and Other Funny Animal Poems for Kids, and The Hawaii Doodle Bookhttp://alinaspencil.com

One of the volunteers at the church where my school choir recently performed just had a nasty fall and broke her hip, so the choir has rallied to try and fill her freezers with delicious meals for while she's recovering.

Any ideas for things that are impressive but really comforting, and that will freeze well (possibly for a good couple of months)?

So I'm cooking for a male omni friend on Tuesday (who may or may not have potential as a love interest :) ) - what should I make him? I've never really cooked for someone I'm dating before, only family and friends who already love vegan food. Any pointers?

My boyfriend is a meat eating southern boy but he looooooves my vegan cooking. Some of his favorites include stuffed shells with cashew ricotta from V'con, the creamy mushroom fettuccini from AFR, and the basil cilantro pesto from V'con. The Mango BBQ beans and the chickpea piccata from AFR are also winners.

I cook for a bunch of committed carnivores every week and I find that curries and chillis go down amazingly well, especially if there are beanss involved as they're really filling and satisfying, but aren't "scary". This week I'm making cauliflower and chickpea curry, coconut brown rice, carrot and almond salad and poppadoms. Plenty of different flavours and textures - they don't even notice it's vegetarian, let alone vegan :)

I made JackFruit Carnitas tacos for my meat loving friends at a party, and they seemed to really dig them. A few even asked for the recipe! I said "Hey guys, its cheaper than meat too!" That seemed to be a good selling point.

Don't skimp on oil/fats! They make food tasty and filling, two things omnivores often think vegan food cannot be.

Don't rely on fake meats/cheeses or else your guests will be quick to compare what they're eating with the "real" thing. And then your meal will be "almost as good as..." which is not what you want of course. My exception to this would be if you're using cashew cream or something like that in a recipe. Just steer clear of relying too heavily on the processed stuff.

Be creative with garnishes to make dishes look impressive. For example, that Chickpeas Romesco recipe is delicious but looks rather like vomit. Garnishing with some roughly chopped Italian parsley instantly makes it look way more appetizing. I always use lots of fresh herbs whenever I cook for company - they're pretty and tasty and really show off the healthiness (real or perceived) of whatever I'm serving.

Individual ramekin dishes rock. Potpies, shepherd's pies, what-have-you in mini ramekins will make a relatively easy casserole recipe seem a lot more impressive. I find that vegan foods have more of a tendency to be stew-like, and it's nice to have something more block-like on the plate to take the place of the usual hunk of meat, you know?

Tell people not to expect it to be meat, cos it's not. If they go into a meal expecting chickpea cutlets to be like steak, well they'll just be disappointed. I like to give things fun, vegan names, like Funster Cheese instead of Meunster, because then they are more likely to accept it for what it is not and not compare it to what they think it should be like.

_________________lack toast intolerant: intolerant of not having toast

Okay people, I need ideas!I'm having some new friends over on Friday, including my crush and another vegan. I very much want to impress both of these people. I set this up under the pretense of sharing the goodies I just got in recent PPK swaps: crackers with cheezly and tartex, hagelslag on toast, cookie butter, and girl scout cookies. So that feels like appetizer and dessert. What can I make for the entree? It should be something light so they have room for everything else.

I've made cinnamon rolls many times to share with omni house guests, co-workers, and friends. They're always impressed that not only are they vegan, but that I made cinnamon rolls from scratch. Most people think it's hard to do and have never made them, so that earns me major points.

I use the recipe from Vegan Brunch, and instead of using fake butter to roll them I just use raw coconut oil. They come out just as good.

The cashew queso was a new thing for me, at least in entertaining. Normally I buy "real" cheese and sour cream, but we always end up with tons left that we don't really want. Everyone loved the queso though, and every last drop was happily devoured on chips or in tacos.

There was a new guy there and afterwards he was like "I was a little skeptical, but it was really good." He said the only reason he knew the shmeat wasn't real was because it didn't have quite the tendon-y springiness of real beef (talk about shiitake I do *not* miss about meat). One of the girls is *super* picky, but I asked if she liked it, and she said she likes everything at my house. Squee! If only I could feed these meat-loving omnis every meal... I'd veganize them in no time flat!

I don't really think there's a trick to feeding omnis besides knowing their dietary preferences. I said this up-thread, but if you've got meat-loving omni friends who *aren't* foodies and who don't really like vegetables or beans, meat subs can actually be a good way to go, as long as the subs are convincing and sort of covered up (like boca crumbles in tacos or spaghetti or chili). Doing something where people can put together their own food helps too (taco bar, pasta bar, tapas, etc.). In this case, I had rice and beans on hand for people who weren't feeling the shmeat. Basically, if I do serve shmeat or tofu or something, I make sure to have another option on hand (I've sometimes served italian tofu alongside pasta, and only a few people are ever interested).

I find Field Roast products to be a huge hit. I grind them up in my food processor and use it as veggie ground round on pizza, chili, tacos etc. I also slice it and serve as an apetzer with an olive and a toothpick. And they seem to like that there is no soy in it.

I have to bring something to a bachelorette. Conditions: 1) she "hates vegan food", 2) she is pregnant and anything spiced or raw makes her sick, 3) I am getting a ride so it needs to be transportable, 4) no desserts because the organizer has ordered an expensive cake and doesn't want to be overshadowed.

I want something that tastes good! I was thinking of going super simple with hummus/brushetta and crudites, but that is boring and raw garlic is probably a no-no. The only thing I can think of that might fly is the edamame corn salad from V'Con which seems to go over well, and I like it, despite feeling like it's kind of not that exciting. In the past with this girl I've always brought stuff like the avocado potato salad from VB, so I can't do a repeat potato salad. She is a high maintenance bridezilla, and I am her wedding organizer at work so this was mostly a courtesy invite. So...pasta salad with Italian dressing?

I don't have a lot of time or money. Maybe someone has a brilliant idea for virgin cocktails? Except the organizer has made it clear that she's already taken care of non-alcoholic beverages.